FLORIDA – Orange County seeks solutions as golf courses fail

Golf is in decline nationwide, with TV ratings plunging, players abandoning the game and courses closing up shop.

By David Breen

February 10, 2015

As the sport of golf struggles and courses continue to shut down, Orange County is trying to stem the fallout in its communities before the situation worsens.County commissioners on Tuesday discussed the issue, with a focus on how to protect the rights of residents in golf-course communities. They’re investigating how other jurisdictions are handling the problem before setting any new rules. District 4 Commissioner Jennifer Thompson, who represents the east Orange developments of Waterford Lakes and Avalon Park, is concerned about the closed Meadow Woods course and the struggling Eastwood Golf Club in her district.

She wants to ensure residents have recourse when developers seek to turn courses into condos or shopping plazas. She noted that 1,100 residents packed a community meeting in November to protest plans to put a mixed-use project on the Eastwood site. Read more: